3 Reasons Why You Need to Become a Data Governance Expert Now

Becoming an expert in all things data is a smart career move into today’s world where data-driven businesses hold a competitive edge. But you may be thinking – there are so many aspects to data. Where should I start? Let me offer a suggestion: data governance.

I know, I know. Data governance – it sounds like hard work (and let’s be real – it is). But data governance is a skill that is taking off, and it’s taking off fast. See, data governance is the key to helping all data users – the data citizens – find, understand, and trust their data. It powers the most successful self-service BI projects. And it’s also key to complying with the GDPR (the EU privacy regulation with a deadline less than a year away – gulp!) and other financial regulations such as BCBS 239, CCAR, and more. Clearly, mastering this skill is the key to becoming the data expert your organization needs to succeed. Still skeptical? Here are three more reasons why you should become a data governance expert now.

It’s quickly becoming a top business imperative

Have you ever attended a meeting where you present one set of data and your colleague presents the same data – but with different results? We call that a data brawl, and they happen more often than any of us would like to admit. But did you know that data governance is a key strategy to eliminate data brawls? See, data governance helps all data citizens find, understand, and trust their data. And that’s huge because it makes your data citizens feel confident that they know where the data comes from, who has access to it, and what it means.

It’s about more than technology

Technology is obviously a component of any solid data governance strategy. But data experts know that equally as important are the people and processes that support the technology platform. A good data governance platform is one that crosses the silos in your business and drives collaboration amongst the people who use the data. And it provides a platform and framework to support the processes needed to ensure everyone is doing right by the data.

It’s a career opportunity

Aspiring CDOs: take note. Gartner predicts that by 2019, 90% of large organizations will have a CDO in place. At our recent Data Citizens conference, our CEO, Felix Van de Maele, offered an alternative opinion: that the role of the CDO will grow across organizations of all sizes, not just large ones. Clearly, having a senior leader in charge of data is crucial for modern, data-driven business. And depending on your current role, you may just be in the running for the job if it becomes available in your organization. But the best CDOs go beyond data management to incorporate data governance as an imperative to empower data citizens throughout the organization. Get up to speed now, and you’ll be ready for that job interview when the opportunity arises.

Val is the Director of Content Marketing at Collibra and Editor of the Collibra Blog. She is a strategist, writer, editor, and publisher. Prior to joining Collibra, Val gained experience in content marketing, integrated marketing, go-to-marketing strategy, global installed base campaigns, and product marketing at a number of global technology companies including Oracle, Qlik, and Ellucian.

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Collibra makes it easy for data citizens to find, understand and trust the organizational data they need to make business decisions every day. Unlike traditional data governance solutions, Collibra is a cross-organizational platform that breaks down the traditional data silos, freeing the data so all users have access.

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